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ARC 8-21-2019 MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES August 21, 2019 The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission was held on Wednesday, August 21, 2019, at Mendota Heights City Hall. 1. Call to Order Chair Sloan called the meeting to order at 6:05 pm. 2. Roll Call The following commissioners were present: David Sloan, Gina Norling, William Dunn, Sally Lorberbaum, Jim Neuharth, and Kevin Byrnes. Absent: Arvind Sharma Also present: Assistant City Administrator Cheryl Jacobson, and City Administrator Mark McNeill. 3. Approval of Minutes a. Approval of Minutes of the July 17, 2019 Meeting Motion by Lorberbaum/Second by Neuharth to approve the minutes of the July 17, 2019 ARC meeting. Motion carried 6-0. 4. Unfinished and New Business a. ARC Visioning Discussion. Mr. McNeill said that the change in venue for the meeting—in the City Council Chambers rather than the normal conference room—was intended to provide an opportunity for the Commission to think about the purpose and mission of the ARC, in a “mini retreat” setting. Is the reason for the ARC the same now, as compared to when it was created in 1993--both planes and technology have changed. Ms. Jacobson asked what people think of the airport when they move to Mendota Heights, and how that may change over time. Chair Sloan said that he had met previously with the City Administrator and Assistant City Administrator about this discussion, and felt that the Commission should consider it. Commissioner Lorberbaum stated that a lot has changed—planes were louder before. She felt that the Commission needed to continue to monitor noise, and let people know that they continue to monitor. She referenced invitations to the State Representative. She said that we have a variety of stakeholders. Commissioner Byrnes said that we should continue to monitor, but asked how that information was to be used? Is it to be used for a newcomer to the community, or a long-time resident? Airport Relations Commission Minutes July 17, 2019 Page 2 Ms. Jacobson said that the packet information was available on the City’s website, and that noise complaints could be lodged on the NOC website. She asked if there was a better way of doing that. Commissioner Norling asked about televising the ARC meetings, and said that there hadn’t been a public explanation of the charts in a long time. Ms. Jacobson said that that could be done, but that it should be when there is a speaker who would be of interest to the general public. Commissioner Neuharth asked how they could get the public more involved. Commissioner Lorberbaum asked if a table could be provided at the annual Parks celebration, and asked if the Parks celebration could held on Sundays every other year, so that more people could attend. Commissioner Byrnes asked if the same could be done for the concerts in the park. Commissioner Dunn asked if ARC business cards could be printed, so that those could be distributed. Ms. Jacobson reviewed information which she had found in her research on the history of the ARC. She asked if now was a good time to redefine the ARC. Should it focus more on education? The causes of many of the complaints can’t be changed due to construction or the weather. Mr. McNeill noted that some of the complaints about turboprops are actually military aircraft, for which there is no change possible. He also reminded those present of the changes in technology for reporting complaints over the years. Ms. Jacobson spoke about the complaint center at MAC, and that it doesn’t allow for commentary; rather, it just records location and time. The phone complaint line at MAC does allow for that, and those complaints for forwarded to the City. Chair Sloan said that there are only a few things which we can control. He believes that the ARC should focus on education. Commissioner Byrnes said that monitoring noise is OK when things are stable, but questioned whether the ARC needs to meet monthly when it is just producing charts? He felt that it could meet quarterly. Chair Sloan and Commissioner Norling agreed that quarterly meetings would be fine, if the monthly charts could be reviewed at those times. Resident Roger Grabowski of the Friendly Hills neighborhood appeared. He said that he has lived there for 30 years, and thinks that the aircraft noise over the past two months has been significant. He said that it is impacting his life negatively. He wondered if the new Vikings Training Facility in Eagan was the cause of change? Commissioner Neuharth suggested following up with MAC to see if there were changes shown at the monitor 13 location. Mr. Grabowski left his e-mail address for a response, and departed the meeting. Airport Relations Commission Minutes July 17, 2019 Page 3 The Commission discussed follow-up for this individual, and other future similar questions. It was determined that an email would work, when it is a joint response from the Chair, and staff. The ARC would be cc:d. Regarding future meetings, Commissioner Norling stated that she would be interested in having the FAA speak about how they train their controllers. Mr. McNeill asked for follow-up on the quarterly meetings concept. Chair Sloan suggested to go to every other month, when they could follow the NOC meetings. The ARC could start that schedule in September and November, although the November meeting would conflict with the night meeting that NOC has scheduled, which is on November 20 the same day as the ARC meeting. b. Review of Airport Operational Statistics i. Complaint Information. Complaint charts were reviewed. Chair Sloan noted that complaints in Mendota Heights were up this year—July, 2019 was 286, vs. 210 for the same month last year ii. News Articles—Commissioner Byrnes stated that meeting every other month was a problem when searching for timely news articles, and so hadn’t been able to prepare any. iii. Turboprop Charts. Commissioner Neuharth said that his charts looked to be good. He said that departures north of the corridors were about 1/3 of the Upper Control Limit. He also said that turboprops were inconsistent. iv. Noise Monitor Charts. Commissioner Norling stated that runways 12 L and 12 R were impacted by summer construction. She said that there were twenty five more hours of maintenance spent on 12 L than on 12 R, which impacts flight patterns. Commissioner Dunn reported that 18 of the top 30 noise events were military C- 130s. He said that those weren’t getting noisier, but that the other planes were getting quieter. The C-130’s register between 87-91 decibels. Chair Sloan noted that total complaints were up this summer—286 complaints were registered in July this year, versus 210 last July. 5. Public Comments No other public comments were received. 6. Commissioner Comments None 7. Adjourn Motion Neuharth/Second Norling to adjourn at 7:43 pm. Airport Relations Commission Minutes July 17, 2019 Page 4 Minutes Taken By: Mark McNeill City Administrator City of Mendota Heights